Summary:British agent Alec Leamas refuses to come in from the cold war during the 1960s, choosing to face another mission, which may prove to be his final one.The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1965 British spy
thriller directed by Martin Ritt. An adaptation of a 1963 espionage novel of
the same name by John le Carré, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold stars the legendary Welsh thespian Richard Burton in the lead role of a British intelligence
agent operating out of West Berlin. The movie
also stars Claire Bloom and Oskar Werner in major roles. John le Carré’s novels,
as a direct contrast to Ian Fleming’s swashbuckling escapades, are noted for
their true and realistic depiction of the world of espionage. And, to its
credit, Ritt's movie remains true to le Carré’s vision. The movie also succeeds in capturing the eeriness and paranoia that underlined the early years of the Cold
War.

Richard Burton as Alec Leamas in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

Widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of espionage novels, John le Carré added a whole new dimension to the spy fiction genre. In his conscious attempt to present spies that appear closer to the real-life, le Carré penned down plausible caricatures that lacked charm, romanticism and heroics of Fleming's 007. John le Carré’s espionage artists lived routine boring lives plagued by the hardships of a common man—a quintessential breed of anti-Bonds who had very little in common with Fleming’s larger-than-life superspy. Ritt's film, a faithful adaptation of le Carré's masterful novel, is largely plot driven with reasonable scope for character development as far as the major characters are concerned. There isn’t an iota of sex and the little action that is present only appears to be quite realistic—a unique facet of the movie that seem to go really well with its plot.

Claire Bloom (left) in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is an exceptional spy thriller with a psychological bent. It changed the very manner in which the spy films were made during the time: the movie, against the common trend, threw in an intelligent plot, high on substance and free of any superficiality in terms of style. A
genre-breaking film as far as espionage films are concerned, The Spy Who Came
in from the Cold offered a completely unique perspective pertaining to the modus
operandi of spies. At a time when James Bond films had painted a very glamorous,
facile, almost ludicrous picture of spying, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
succeeded in limning a far more realistic canvas. In fact, it is widely
considered that Ritt’s film changed the spy thriller genre forever, much
similar to what Stanley Kubrick achieved in the sci-fi genre, a few years
later, with his groundbreaking 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

Alec Leamas being taken into custody in East Germany

Richard Burton's mesmerizing performance, arguably his best ever, adds great value to
the movie. Like a true chameleon, Burton
right from the onset ceases to be himself as he effortlessly conjures up his
alter-ego—a toughened, distrustful, all but defeated British spy named Alec
Leamas. Burton's mesmerizing portrayal is well backed up by strong performances from Werner, Bloom, and the rest of the cast. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold is not only one of the best espionage
thrillers of all time but is also the best adaptation of a le Carré novel along
with the remarkable 1979 TV series, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,
starring the legendary Alec Guinness in the role of George Smiley. A few other film adaptations of le Carré's worksthat also deserve a mention are Fred Schepisi’s The Russia House (1990),
John Boorman’s The Tailor of Panama (2001), Fernando Meirelles’ The Constant Gardener (2005), and Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011).

A Still from The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

Overall, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold doesn't merely
fulfill the needs of the espionage fans but also exceeds their expectations by
some margin. Brilliant from start to finish, here is a tale that’s not only
entertaining but also has the power to woo the intelligent audience. The Spy
Who Came in From the Cold starts off slowly but gradually picks up pace as the tension
starts to grow with each passing second until the very last frame. The viewer
who would have felt at home in the early going would suddenly start to feel the
noose tightening on him. And the tension may get released after the viewer has
witnessed the final scene but its chilling aftereffects would continue to haunt him
for a very long time to come. Highly Recommended!Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your feedback is highly appreciated!

2
comments:

I recently got the chance to watch this classic espionage thriller. It was a spellbinding movie experience. I like how you have compared the groundbreaking work involved here with that of Kubrick's seminal sci-fi. Are there are any modern novelists, who has explored the espionage world as realistic as possible, similar to le Carre's works. Was John Boorman's "Tailor of Panama" a good movie adaptation?

There have been many decent adaptations of John le Carre's novels. The Russia House (a film whose narrative style inspired Tarantino for Pulp Fiction), Constant Gardener, A Most Wanted Man, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy are all good. Tailor of Panama is actually quite interesting film. While I haven't read the novel I can tell you that the movie is solid. It's not your cutthroat serious espionage but it's delightfully playful espionage with farce and bluff (rush and Brosnan are brilliant to watch). Mind it, Boorman is a terribly underrated filmmaker. Speaking of leCarre, you may also want to check out the BBC TV Series: Smiley's People and Tinker Tailor starring Alec Guinness as George Smiley.

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold actually succeeded in painting a rather realistic canvas as far as the spy thriller genre was concerned. It added a whole new dimension to the Spy thrillers (as oppose to 007 and earlier Spy films) just like 2001 revolutionized the way Sci-Fi films got made forever. You may want to do your own research as to how the Martin Ritt film proved to be a seminal work in its own right.

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Murtaza Ali Khan is an independent film critic / journalist based out of New Delhi, India. He has been writing on cinema for over seven years. He runs the award-winning entertainment blog A Potpourri of Vestiges. He is also the Films Editor at the New York City-based publication Cafe Dissensus and regularly contributes to The Hindu and The Sunday Guardian. He was previously a columnist at Huff Post. He has also contributed to publications like DailyO, Newslaundry, The Quint, Dear Cinema, Desimartini and Jamuura Blog. He regularly appears as a guest panelist on the various television channels and is also associated with radio.